I have read most forums regarding protection by Surge guards or EMS systems. It seems that as the RV parks/Campgrounds age, the electrical systems start to get weak. We have stayed at Jackson Rancheria RV park in California. A very nice upscale park. But, now they recommend Surge Protection? I am sure they have had some issues with power and some RV damage. If a newer park like this, built to high standards suggest Surge protection, how about the older parks?I was surprised to see that on their website. It was not there when I last checked. Looks like I will purchase a PI unit for protection. We do a lot of boondocking with generator, so I have not been in a hurry to add that to the list yet. Anyone else see this suggestion at other parks? Also any experiences with a EMS-Surge guard units?

Never used one or saw the need....until we went FT traveling all over the USA.Ours has shut down due to LOW Voltage (which WILL destroy motors), identified 'open ground, open neutrals and even a reverse polarity issue (which can be dangerous IF ground circuit gets lost also)Just like a good quality water pressure regulator.......cheap for those what if's that happen. And should there be an 'event' it's TOO LATE. Damage is done.Progressive Industries,....hands downLife time warranty..they stand behind it also with great customer service and a tech support that will actually troubleshoot with you on the phone.Purchase to 'surge & protection' unit...portable or hardwired. About $400 but worth it......RV electronics are expensive to replace!TRC--Surge Guard has them also BUT only 1 yr. limited warrantyChoice is easy!On Edit:They do list 'surge protection recommended' in their Park Rules.That is a first......never seen a park post that. Have had staff mention it at check in (during high use/high temp periods) but not part of the written rules etc.Have seen 'Caution: High water pressure----regulators recommended'Seems they are aware that AC Voltage issues can/do happen...even when NEW.Lawyer CYA...."we told them!"

Recommending surge protection protects both the RV and the park. It's not a CYA lawyer issue but a common sense issue. We disagree Old Biscuit! Hiring an expert to determine if the park were at fault would be cost prohibitive, and he/she might conclude it wasn't the park. With all the money we RVers spend and with all the costs of fixing a fried electrical system, surge protection should be one and two with water pressure protection.

Human nature - people won't bat an eye spending $20K, $30K, $40K, etc on a trailer but wince when it's suggested that a $400 expenditure for a surge protector / EMS is a wise investment - go figure. :S I should know, I used to be one, but when I had the opportunity to buy a used TRC Surge Guard I jumped at the chance, remembering how the microwave oven in our KZ Spree had suddenly died for no "apparent" reason. :M I later sold that portable SG for what I paid for it and invested in a hard wire Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C. In the time since it's disconnected multiple times, for a variety of reasons, so knowing what I know now I'd never plug into shore power of any kind without it. ;)

I'm currently plugged into a good 15 amp shore power. However the cord to reach it is 100 feet of #12 wire.No load voltage is 115.Load with air conditioner dips to 94 then rises to 102. The air conditioner does have a Microair easy start kit.So, if I had only an EMS that disconnected on low voltage, I'd not be able to use the air conditioner.Another issue is the low voltage disconnect value. I'm NOT a happy camper below 107 volts, but the EMS units disconnect at 103.5. Yes, I know there is a 10% tolerance. But as the air conditioner runs the voltage drop may become greater.But with an autoformer the voltage to the air conditioner rises to 118.I also have the load support feature of the Magnum inverter charger enabled.The Autoformer allows me full use of the RV and is cheaper than the EMS.

There are several types of power line issues and basically two types of protection.SPIKES, these are high speed transient peaks in voltage. that can easily hit 1,000 volts or more. Very common when say an Air Conditioner shuts down.. SPIKE suppressors, also called surge guards do a fairly good job of clipping these using either Metal Oxcide Varisistors (MNOVs) or less often gas discharge tubes (Far less often). You have these in your house as well and always have so as you can guess. though they do damage,, , over time... It can take a LONG time.The other thing is high/low voltage, THis is far worse,m and the nore expensive monitoring systems (These usually have an LCD display) watch the voltage and if it goes into the danger zones (Too high or low) Cut you off to protect you because OFF is safer than Danger zone. Another advantage.. They delay re-connect.. So imagine what happened to me happens to you.. BANG, no power.. only the BANG was outside the camnpground (Car v/s utility pole, minor injuries only) Well when power was restored ... all the air conditioners in the park tried to restart at once.. save mine.. For the first minute or so that asd oner voltage rollar coaster.. But in muy rig the little box was counting 1,2,3...... 167.169, 169.. clunk (almost 3 minutes) during this time that rollar coaster ride came to and end.. THEN I got power.. Nice, stable power.

Surge Protection-EMS | Good Sam Community

Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jul 04, 2017
Never used one or saw the need....until we went FT traveling all over the USA.

Ours has shut down due to LOW Voltage (which WILL destroy motors), identified 'open ground, open neutrals and even a reverse polarity issue (which can be dangerous IF ground circuit gets lost also)

Just like a good quality water pressure regulator.......cheap for those what if's that happen. And should there be an 'event' it's TOO LATE. Damage is done.

Progressive Industries,....hands down
Life time warranty..they stand behind it also with great customer service and a tech support that will actually troubleshoot with you on the phone.
Purchase to 'surge & protection' unit...portable or hardwired. About $400 but worth it......RV electronics are expensive to replace!

TRC--Surge Guard has them also BUT only 1 yr. limited warranty

Choice is easy!

On Edit:
They do list 'surge protection recommended' in their Park Rules.
That is a first......never seen a park post that. Have had staff mention it at check in (during high use/high temp periods) but not part of the written rules etc.
Have seen 'Caution: High water pressure----regulators recommended'

Seems they are aware that AC Voltage issues can/do happen...even when NEW.
Lawyer CYA...."we told them!"
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Jul 04, 2017
Recommending surge protection protects both the RV and the park. It's not a CYA lawyer issue but a common sense issue. We disagree Old Biscuit! Hiring an expert to determine if the park were at fault would be cost prohibitive, and he/she might conclude it wasn't the park. With all the money we RVers spend and with all the costs of fixing a fried electrical system, surge protection should be one and two with water pressure protection.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Jul 04, 2017
Human nature - people won't bat an eye spending $20K, $30K, $40K, etc on a trailer but wince when it's suggested that a $400 expenditure for a surge protector / EMS is a wise investment - go figure. :S I should know, I used to be one, but when I had the opportunity to buy a used TRC Surge Guard I jumped at the chance, remembering how the microwave oven in our KZ Spree had suddenly died for no "apparent" reason. :M I later sold that portable SG for what I paid for it and invested in a hard wire Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C. In the time since it's disconnected multiple times, for a variety of reasons, so knowing what I know now I'd never plug into shore power of any kind without it. ;)
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jul 04, 2017
I'm currently plugged into a good 15 amp shore power. However the cord to reach it is 100 feet of #12 wire.

No load voltage is 115.

Load with air conditioner dips to 94 then rises to 102. The air conditioner does have a Microair easy start kit.

So, if I had only an EMS that disconnected on low voltage, I'd not be able to use the air conditioner.

Another issue is the low voltage disconnect value. I'm NOT a happy camper below 107 volts, but the EMS units disconnect at 103.5. Yes, I know there is a 10% tolerance. But as the air conditioner runs the voltage drop may become greater.

But with an autoformer the voltage to the air conditioner rises to 118.

I also have the load support feature of the Magnum inverter charger enabled.

The Autoformer allows me full use of the RV and is cheaper than the EMS.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Jul 05, 2017
There are several types of power line issues and basically two types of protection.

SPIKES, these are high speed transient peaks in voltage. that can easily hit 1,000 volts or more. Very common when say an Air Conditioner shuts down.. SPIKE suppressors, also called surge guards do a fairly good job of clipping these using either Metal Oxcide Varisistors (MNOVs) or less often gas discharge tubes (Far less often). You have these in your house as well and always have so as you can guess. though they do damage,, , over time... It can take a LONG time.

The other thing is high/low voltage, THis is far worse,m and the nore expensive monitoring systems (These usually have an LCD display) watch the voltage and if it goes into the danger zones (Too high or low) Cut you off to protect you because OFF is safer than Danger zone.

Another advantage.. They delay re-connect.. So imagine what happened to me happens to you.. BANG, no power.. only the BANG was outside the camnpground (Car v/s utility pole, minor injuries only)

Well when power was restored ... all the air conditioners in the park tried to restart at once.. save mine.. For the first minute or so that asd oner voltage rollar coaster.. But in muy rig the little box was counting 1,2,3...... 167.169, 169.. clunk (almost 3 minutes) during this time that rollar coaster ride came to and end.. THEN I got power.. Nice, stable power.
Flyfasteddie
Explorer
Jul 05, 2017
pianotuna wrote:
I'm currently plugged into a good 15 amp shore power. However the cord to reach it is 100 feet of #12 wire.

No load voltage is 115.

Load with air conditioner dips to 94 then rises to 102. The air conditioner does have a Microair easy start kit.

So, if I had only an EMS that disconnected on low voltage, I'd not be able to use the air conditioner.

Actually, the PI hardwire units have a bypass switch on the digital readout inside the rig. Flip the switch and it's like the EMS isn't there.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jul 05, 2017
Bypassing the ems won't raise the voltage up to a safe level.

Flyfasteddie wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
I'm currently plugged into a good 15 amp shore power. However the cord to reach it is 100 feet of #12 wire.

No load voltage is 115.

Load with air conditioner dips to 94 then rises to 102. The air conditioner does have a Microair easy start kit.

So, if I had only an EMS that disconnected on low voltage, I'd not be able to use the air conditioner.

Actually, the PI hardwire units have a bypass switch on the digital readout inside the rig. Flip the switch and it's like the EMS isn't there.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Jul 05, 2017
pianotuna wrote:
So, if I had only an EMS that disconnected on low voltage, I'd not be able to use the air conditioner.

Go figure, exactly what an EMS is designed to do. :S
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jul 05, 2017
Go figure that an autoformer would allow the Rver to safely use the air conditioner exactly as it is designed to do. In real life mine has worked with 96 volts, boosting it up to 108.

SoundGuy wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
So, if I had only an EMS that disconnected on low voltage, I'd not be able to use the air conditioner.

Go figure, exactly what an EMS is designed to do. :S
Bobbo
Explorer II
Jul 05, 2017
pianotuna wrote:
Go figure that an autoformer would allow the Rver to safely use the air conditioner exactly as it is designed to do. In real life mine has worked with 96 volts, boosting it up to 108.

SoundGuy wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
So, if I had only an EMS that disconnected on low voltage, I'd not be able to use the air conditioner.

Go figure, exactly what an EMS is designed to do. :S

That is not an argument AGAINST an EMS. If anything, it is an argument for BOTH an EMS and a voltage booster.